Venturing Vows

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Venturing Vows

Elopement and micro wedding photographer for couples who want the local experience for their Oregon Coast elopement.

10/23/2026

An Oregon Coast mini elopement 🌊
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I’ve had a ton of fun with my mini elopements this year. I created this new option earlier this year for the folks who want a simpler day that’s largely pre-planned for them. Because they’re shorter, it also means we get nothing but ideal light the entire day.
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Here’s what you get with a mini elopement:

✅ 2-3 hours of coverage

✅ 3 timelines to pick from. Option 1 is two hours long and uses one location. Option 2 is 3 hours long and features getting ready photos and 1 portrait location. Option 3 is 3 hours long and visits 2 portrait locations.

✅ Locations in Pacific City and Oceanside. Once you pick the timeline, your next step is picking your locations. I have a pre-selected list for you to choose from. Each one has details on hiking distance, park passes, crowds, and a sample gallery from a past elopement.

✅ Officiating and a simple ceremony. I’m ordained! From behind the camera, I’ll walk you through your ring exchange, I dos, first kiss, and pronouncement. This makes your vows the star of the show and also private (they’re not legally binding, I don’t need to hear them).

✅ Sneak peeks within 48 hours so you can announce your elopement. I will forever stand by a quick turn around for sneak peeks since so many couples I work with use these to announce their marriage! I don’t want to make you sit on that secret too long.

This package is definitely different than my full elopement one. There’s a lot of folks who this won’t be a good fit for and that’s totally fine. For example, this is something I only offer for preset locations in Oceanside and Pacific City. This also is not a good fit for anything over 4 guests.
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But if you want a day that’s already mostly planned for you, the mini elopement may be what you’ve been looking for.
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Oregon Coast elopement
Elopement photographer

10/13/2026

Your wedding should be an EXPERIENCE that you love. 👇
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For traditional weddings, your wants can go to the wayside for the sake of guest entertainment. Even on the elopement side of things, many still view elopements as a portrait session with a ceremony thrown in there.
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The reality is, your wedding is about you two and it should be a day you want to relive over and over. Don’t settle for an event you’re excited to be done with so you can just reflect on the photos later.
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This takes shape in so many ways for elopement days. Most of my couples take a low key hike and have a picnic in a beautiful place. Some have a first dance on the beach with no audience and exchange private vows. Some bring special people in their lives and celebrate with a family style dinner, a game night, or a group hike. There’s more personalized moments like making their favorite drink together, kayaking or other adventures, exchanging gifts, getting their favorite food together, and reading letters from loved ones.
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Planning an amazing day you’d do even if I weren’t there taking photos is so important for an incredible experience. I work with my couples to make them each a custom timeline.
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The main event isn’t the photos. It’s you.
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While you’re having a great day, we’ll get all sorts of photo opportunities. I’ll pause to grab some posed photos as we go to make sure you get all the photos you want.
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You deserve a day you love that is unapologetically true to you.
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Oregon Coast elopement
Micro wedding
Elopement photographer

10/08/2026

To be blunt, the ocean doesn’t care about your schedule. When you start working with nature instead of against it, true magic happens.
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Each of these images required tide checking and knowledge. Some of these places aren’t even accessible for hours at a time. One of these images is only possible a couple days a year if you carefully line up everything. The reflections images are a trick I’ve learned while observing the ocean’s patterns.
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I have many philosophical thoughts about letting nature guide my work in a world where humans try to force it into whatever shape we need but at the end of the day, tides will make a difference in your wedding photos and even your safety.
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This is where I come in. Most folks I work with are traveling to the Oregon Coast from out of state. Many have never checked a tide chart in their life, let alone understand how that would impact any given location. I have some timelines where the tides are a moot point. I have some where the entire day, including picking their anniversary, was picked by the tides (which is really poetic in a way).
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The good news is, I do know how to check a tide chart. I know how that tide will look on the beach you’re really excited about. If you have a date you really want to use as an anniversary, I can walk you through what those tides will decide about our locations.
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One of the best things you can do for your planning and stress for your elopement is to hire someone local who knows the place well. They’ll take that stress off your shoulders and give you information no internet search could provide. If you want to never look at a tide chart while planning? I’m your gal. If you want a gorgeous mountain meadow with flowers? There’s another expert out there (definitely not me) who can line up all those pieces for you.
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Oregon Coast micro wedding
Pacific Northwest elopement
Oregon photographer

10/05/2026

How far in advance should you plan your elopement?
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There’s a lot of information out there and I’ve even had people reach out 3 years out. The reality is, planning an elopement does not need the same timeline as a traditional wedding and there’s a lot of different factors for how much time you truly need for planning.
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I recommend planning your elopement 2-12 months prior to the date. I’ve been part of beautiful days that took 1.5 years of planning and equally beautiful days that came together within a month.
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You should plan your elopement further in advance if you’re planning on including a wide variety of vendors (especially venues), you have certain vendors you MUST have as part of your day, if you’re bringing guests from out of town, you have a special date in mind, or if the place you want to use has stricter permit regulations.
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You can quite easily plan your elopement in 2-4 months if you’re flexible on date, you’re going for a more minimalist vendor approach (ie beach picnic instead of catered meal or just a bouquet instead of a floral arch), there’s little to no guests coming along, and you’re open to various locations.
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The main difference on the best timeline for you will come down to preference (looking at you fellow planner types) and your flexibility. It’s totally fine if you have a very specific vision for your day and you’ll want enough time to bring it together. If you have a general vision for your day that can be brought to life in many ways, you won’t need as much time to bring it all together.
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Oregon Coast
Oregon elopement photographer
Oregon Coast micro wedding

09/18/2026

Making this reminded me of why I capture all elopements on digital AND film.
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Each elopement is photographed on one roll of film which is a fraction of the photos I take digitally. Despite that, there’s always something captured in those 36 frames that my 3k digital photos didn’t capture.
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Film demands time and intention. I can’t run it through heavy duty editing to change it. The limit on frames requires me to slow down and find a beautiful moment.
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The photos are never perfect. There’s dust and grain and sometimes the focus is a bit off. But that’s what makes the photos feel real. It’s just you and your partner living the day where you commit to each other.
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Oregon elopement photographer
Oregon Coast
Film photographer
Elopements and weddings on film

09/04/2026

✋ Beware when you’re looking for elopement locations. ✋⁠
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You’re scrolling on Pinterest and come to a photo that takes your breath away. That’s it. Your elopement location. That light, that view, the sense of adventure. You run off to your elopement photographer.⁠
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Then the true story unfolds.⁠
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It’s busy, crowded. There’s a thorough permit process. There’s limited time for photos around the crowds. Sometimes there isn’t even parking. And on, and on...⁠
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Because you have to remember, there’s hundreds, thousands even, of other couples scrolling through that same search. They see the same location and have that same moment.⁠
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One of my best pieces of advice I can give as an elopement photographer, is to avoid getting attached to that place you find on Pinterest. I get it a lot. Everyone wants to elope at a handful of very popular coast spots. I get the same images from Pinterest I sent to me over and over saying, “This is where I want to go.” But trust me, it’s not.⁠
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There’s around 15 other locations I have in mind for you that would’ve taken your breath away the exact same way. They just aren’t going viral on Pinterest and Instagram. They’ll give you all the privacy you could want, the right level of physical activity, and the awe-inspiring moment you’re dreaming of.⁠
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I’m not here to convince you to go to a viral location so I can show it off in my portfolio. I’m here to craft a genuine experience for YOU. I’ll take all the information you give me about your dream elopement and customize my recommendations to that.⁠
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Featuring an elopement that was 100% off the beaten path, not going viral on social media locations.
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Oregon Coast
Oregon elopement photographer
Pacific Northwest

05/29/2026

Why you should elope on the Oregon Coast ⬇️

1️⃣ It’s 363 miles of epic scenery and location options. It gives you freedom to pick a spot that fits your vision, comfort level with crowds, and how long you want to hike.

2️⃣ The weather is mild year round. While there’s normal fluctuations seasonally, you won’t be dealing with snow or heat waves. Many people find the coast temperature from May-October to be perfect for those fancy outfits.

3️⃣ Less crowds than some public lands, especially national parks. Because the coast is so extensive and all public land, there’s lots of places to avoid crowds. Some places are busy but there’s so many hidden gems.

4️⃣ Forest fire smoke is rare on the Oregon Coast. Given how fire seasons have been going, this can be a big deal. You can’t guarantee no smoke but the odds are quite low because of how coastal weather works.

Check out my website to learn more about eloping on the Oregon Coast! There’s still time to plan your 2026 elopement.
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Oregon Coast elopement
Oregon elopement photographer

05/12/2026

Swipe to see one of my favorite photos I’ve taken ➡️
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We all love a good beach photo with birds flying about but actually capturing that (and not disturbing them to get it) is a totally different story. I only have a handful of epic bird portraits in my portfolio.
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On this day, the stand out to me was just how many birds I know were in the background and how few of them really showed up in the image. There were HUNDREDS of birds soaring in circles and to me, it looks way less than that in the image.
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Regardless, I’m so glad I was able to capture this incredible feature of Haystack Rock. While I’m usually there knee deep in a tide pool, there’s something about experiencing the birds here. When the eagles land and they swirl like a cyclone. Or the masses who have gathered just to catch a small glimpse of the puffins.
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As always, I love my Oregon Coast home and I love when I get to capture all her amazing facets. 🪶
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Oregon Coast
Oregon photographer
Cannon Beach, OR

Address

Portland, OR

Website

http://venturingvows.com/

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